Dallas Mavericks Blog

Mavericks’ Vince Carter happy his foot wasn’t injured worse

Vince Carter isn’t on the verge of returning, but he’s thankful that the injury he suffered against the Lakers on Jan. 16 wasn’t worse than a left-foot sprain.

It could have been much worse, he said Tuesday.

“I wasn’t sure,” Carter said of what was wrong when he went up for a potential overtime-forcing 3-pointer at the buzzer against the Lakers.

“I tried to walk it off. It felt a little different, and it wouldn’t go away. I was worried about a bone [fracture]. I’m glad it’s just a mid-foot sprain.

“It’s still aggravating because when you walk, every time you flex forward, you feel it. But it’s feeling better than it did even [Monday]. So it’s getting better every day.”

Carter, who was averaging 9.5 points, 2.7 rebounds and 2.1 assists when he was injured, has missed the last four games. He has been allowed to do some light running, lots of shooting and plenty of work on the elliptical and stationary bike. He said there is no timetable for his return but sees a light at the end of the tunnel. Whether that’s later this week or next week remains unknown.

“When you go up against these guys, it makes sense to get it healthy so it’s not nagging, particularly with the foot and the way I play,” said Carter, who remains a threat to drive to the basket even as he reaches his 35th birthday Thursday.